A Short Tall Tale
by Tigergirl
Summary: Different version of 2x15 "Tall Tales," first episode with the Trickster AKA Gabriel. Little something I worked on BEFORE Matthew blew through town.


**Title:** A Short Tall Tale

 **Authoress:** Tigergirl

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters. I do not benefit in any way from writing about them.

 **Summary:** Different version of 2x15 "Tall Tales," first episode with the Trickster AKA Gabriel.

 **Author's Note: Not sure what possessed me to write this. Not sure if there will be a sequel.**

Things had not gone well. Sam and Dean had gotten into an argument outside the University before Dean had stormed away. A frustrated Sam had stormed off to the University library, but he couldn't distract himself. After night fell, Sam slinked back into the main building in search of the disguised Trickster. However, something found him first.

Sam had just come up to the landing on the second floor when something solid smashed into the side of his head. The stake he had been hiding clattered to the floor. Sam teetered sideways before slipping and tumbling down the stairs. He slid up against the wall with his back slamming hard against it. His body sagged and eyes fell shut almost instantly.

The newcomer chuckled loudly as he came down the stairs.

"My, my, my, that was embarrassingly easy. What a poor hunter, you must be," cackled a black-eyed male.

The demon stepped down on the landing, but was abruptly flung up against a wall before he could lay another hand on Sam. The demon's eyes jerked upwards to find a short custodian standing on the landing as though he had just come up the stairs. A playful little smirk was playing across his face.

"It's not nice to be tossing hunters around in the stairways. That'll leave a bloody mess all over my clean stairs," the custodian chuckled with a teasing grin.

The demon snarled.

"How are you doing that? You're no demon!" he screeched.

Gabriel smirked.

"That's for me to know and you to fry," Gabriel responded.

His eyes suddenly started glowing a bright blue. The demon, realizing what he was up against, screamed. It escalated when Gabriel laid a hand on his forehead and started burning the demon out of its human host.

During that time, unknown to Gabriel, Sam had woken up. His gaze fell on the bright light. He scrambled to get a hand over his eyes and his mouth fell open.

Another sound broke through the scream of the demon as Gabriel forced it out of its meat puppet. He dropped his angelic glow, but, as he turned to look at the fallen hunter, he saw the damage was already done. Blood streamed down Sam's cheeks like tears. Sam was clutching his eyes with deep, pain-filled sobs slipping past his lips. Kneeling down in front of him, Gabriel moved Sam's hand aside.

The eyes weren't completely burnt out…not yet. It was still something he could fix. Gabriel slipped two fingers across Sam's forehead, throwing him into a forceful sleep. Grasping a shoulder, both Gabriel and Sam disappeared with a quiet fluttering of wings.

Gabriel reappeared in his apartment with Sam laid out on his couch. He snapped his fingers and the couch expanded to allow for the hunter's size. A small rat terrier came bounding in the room. He zeroed in on Sam's unconscious body and ran over, licking at the hand that hung off the side of the couch. Sam groaned in his sleep while his hand flinched away from the canine.

Gabriel clucked his tongue as he reached down to pick the dog up.

"Let's leave our little guest alone now, hmm? He's going to need some time to get better," Gabriel said, scratching the terrier behind the ears.

The little dog licked at his face before running off once he was put down. Having watched the dog scurry off, Gabriel turned his head back to Sam. The hunter had started whimpering while trying to shift his body. Gabriel recalled the hunter slamming his back into the wall. The eye would take time, but the other injuries were a quick fix.

Gabriel reached out and touched two fingers to Sam's forehead. The bruises and cuts on Sam's back stitched up and healed slowly until Gabriel withdrew his fingers. He felt a twinge of guilt at causing undue damage to the young hunter. He should have sensed Sam was only temporarily knocked out, but he hadn't.

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill cry of a cell phone. Fishing through Sam's pockets, Gabriel produced a cell phone with the Caller ID reading as Dean. Rolling his eyes, he flipped open the phone and brought it up to his ear.

" _Sam?_ "

Gabriel cleared his throat before speaking in a perfect imitation of Sam's voice.

"Hi, Dean. What's up?"

" _Dude, where the Hell you been? We got to gank this Trickster before he_ "

Gabriel glanced down at the couch at the unconscious hunter with a knowing smirk.

"I'm sorry I didn't call, Dean. I already took care of things. You don't have to worry about the Trickster anymore," Gabriel replied.

" _Seriously? He didn't give you any trouble?_ "

Gabriel let out a huff.

"Nooo, Dean. I think I'm more than capable of handling myself. Are we done? I'm kind of busy right now."

There was a pause and what sounded like a combination of a cough and scoff.

" _What's got into you?_ " Dean's voice sounded accusatory.

"I met a girl and I'm doing a little R&R, okay?" Gabriel hinted.

There was another, more noticeable pause, before Dean let out a loud, obnoxious laugh.

" _Ha Ha Okay, Sammy. I guess we deserve it after the Hell that little pipsqueak put us through_."

Gabriel had to stifle himself before he gave himself away. The last person – an unfortunate demon riding an old grandmother – had called him short. Well, actually, she had called him a "short stack of rotting pancakes and covered in syrupy child-like cuteness." He had taken it as well as could be; he zapped her out of her meat puppet so quick, the poor woman had permanent blue hair.

" _Don't talk so big, Little Man._ "

 **Click.** He hadn't even waited to hear what Dean's response had been. He set the phone off to the side before going to work on Sam. He propped the hunter up against the arm of the couch and he sat beside him on the couch. He tilted Sam's head back, cradling his head carefully as he inspected the damage.

The burns were severe; severe enough that the hunter would be blind for life if Gabriel didn't do something. He knew the healing process would take some time. Probably longer than big brother would allow, but he would figure out things when it came to that.

Gabriel started by digging his angelic power in deep to assess how deep the pain level was. Slowly and methodically, he brought it down to a tolerance level where Sam would be uncomfortable, but not too bad. It look a lot of concentration and energy, but Gabriel knew his brother would be most upset if his vessel was damaged.

Yes, he knew the Winchester brothers. He hadn't recognized them at first for what they were. Repeat visits with them had allowed him to sense the truth. After finishing the first healing, Gabriel laid Sam back down on the couch and threw a blanket over him.

 _My brother's destined vessels_ , Gabriel thought. _You don't realize it, kiddo, but you've got a big role in this big game we call Life._

/…/

Over the course of the week, Sam shifted in and out of semi-consciousness. At first, he refused

anything Gabriel offered to him to eat or drink. However, the young hunter's resolve broke down after a few tender touches to his face and soft whispers. Of course, it helped the hunter had developed a fever and was completely dependent on the care the archangel had to offer.

The fever stayed strong at almost 103; a normally high temperature that would result in an immediate trip to a hospital. Except Gabriel's presence calmed the fever down enough to not need such a trip. The use of his power and icepacks helped. Plus Jessie, his rat terrier, had taken a liking to the other male. He would curl up beside the young hunter and Sam's large hand would lay on the terrier's back, occasionally scratching the fur absentmindedly.

The nights were worse, especially around the midnight hour. Gabriel would either be reading, watching a movie or another activity when it happened. At first, Sam would start tossing and turning. After a few seconds, he would start whimpering and pressing his face hard into his pillow. After a minute or two, silent tears would start falling down the hunter's face, wetting through the bandages and making the pain in his eyes worse.

So far, Gabriel had fixed this by touching Sam's forehead and banishing the nightmares. In between healing sessions, Sam received a text message from his brother, telling him they had a new job three states over. Gabriel had been forced to make a copy of Sam and zap it with the same memories as the original.

"Keep chuckle-head occupied until I'm done," Gabriel told the copy before snapping it away.

Gabriel crossed through the apartment from the bedroom to the living room. Sam's tall body was curled uncomfortably tight into a small ball in an armchair. A blanket was wrapped around his terribly shivering body. Gabriel had finished the latest part of healing only a few minutes ago. There was a still a few more days to go. Sam could distinguish from light and dark or at least that's what Gabriel guessed from his jumbled up thoughts.

Gabriel gently patted the side of Sam's head.

[ _Tired…sore…Dean?...where…_ ]

Gabriel smiled.

"I know you're tired, kiddo. Big brother's out playing hide and seek with the creature of the week. Let's get some food in you before we send you off to sleep," Gabriel told him.

Gabriel wasn't too surprised Sam turned his head away when the archangel held food up to his mouth. Sam hadn't had much of an appetite that day and now wasn't any different. Gabriel didn't fight him on it. He closed the recliner part of the armchair and lifted Sam into his arms easily.

Gabriel could tell Sam had been uncomfortable trading off between sleeping on the couch and the armchair. Both were not equal in size to him so his lengthy body had been scrunched into uncomfortable positions. Gabriel carried the hunter into his room and laid him down on the large bed covering the center of the room. The young male automatically rolled over and pressed his face into a pillow with the blanket curling over him.

Gabriel shook his head before leaving the room. Baby Winchester may not want food, but the archangel did. He made himself up a peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chip wrap and started munching on it while leafing through a magazine. He focused his attention on something other than his house guest.

Separated by thick walls, Sam's face started to scrunch up as his nightmare began. In his mind's eye, he was reliving the nightmare of the night he lost Jessica. Except the nightmare was more twisted than the memory. The apartment was locked up and Sam was trapped inside with Jessica. He could hear Dean outside yelling for him and trying to get in to reach him.

" _ **Sammy! SAM!"**_

 _ **Sam tried to get close to the door, but a wave of flames flew up and blocked his only exit.**_

" _ **Dean! DEAN! I can't get out!"**_

 _ **Cough. Cough. Smoke was washing over him and his lungs were on fire. Jessica's screams filled the air. He looked down and found blood on his hands. He tried to wipe it away on his jeans, but it remained. He scrambled around the apartment, trying to find another way out.**_

" _ **SAMMY!"**_

" _ **DEAN!"**_

 _ **Tears began falling down his face. It was useless. He wasn't getting out of this. He wasn't going to survive. He was going to die here in this apartment with his brother unable to do anything to save him.**_

 _ **Just like his mom.**_

 _ **He crumbled to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees. He began sobbing, tears streaming down his face as the flames grew closer.**_

 _ **Suddenly, as the flames licked at his feet,**_ a warmth wrapped around him.

" _Shh. Come on. What you see is not real._ _ **"**_

 _ **Sam felt as though someone was wrapping him in their arms. A voice was whispering close in his ear, trying to soothe him with words and holding.**_

" _Shhhh, come on, Sammy boy. Come on, kiddo. I need you to wake up._ _ **"**_

 _ **The apartment began to blur around him as the touch became more solid and the voice louder.**_

 _ **Sam moved his head, whimpering**_ into Gabriel's chest. Gabriel wrapped his arms and wings more firmly around the Winchester boy. He continued wrapping his Grace in and around Sam. He had been so unfocused on Sam's well-being, he almost hadn't caught the fever rising in time.

In the height of Sam's nightmare, his fever had spiked to a dangerous level. So high that he could have died within minutes, if not for Gabriel flying to his side. He had been forced to release his Grace and wings to absorb the heat of the fever. The only way of truly breaking the fever had been to delve into Sam's nightmare and pull him back off the edge.

He wiped at the trail of pinkish tears falling down Sam's cheeks. Gabriel lulled him into a dreamless sleep before slowly drawing back from the injured male. Carefully, Gabriel placed the clammy head down, drying Sam's face and hair with a snap of his fingers. If he was going to be able to finish the healing and send his brother's vessel on its way, Gabriel needed to see to these nightmares.

He replayed the nightmare through the memory. He didn't recognize the female burning on the ceiling so he tapped into Sam's memory by touching the side of his head. He saw everything from where Sam was born up until the present moment. His hand fell to his side in shock.

Before he had even been old enough to stand, Samuel Winchester's life had been orchestrated by outside forces. Lucifer's vessel or not, the demons had no place in the boy's life.

Gabriel glanced up.

"Father, forgive me, but I cannot – I _will not_ – allow this to happen. Lucifer can stuff it. Samuel Winchester has suffered more than enough."

It was a simple yet complex process. Sam had demon blood flowing through his veins. That was something he could fix easily. At the same time, he would be creating a profound bond with the young Winchester. He snapped away both their shirts before laying down on the bed with him. Gabriel glanced down at the foot of the bed where Jessie lay with his ears perked out.

"You don't want to be here for this," Gabriel told him with a sly smirk.

The canine bobbed his head down once before turning around to jump off the bed and scurry out of the room. Gabriel made sure the door was closed, the room soundproofed, and a dagger appear in his hand. He brought Sam up to a semi-conscious state.

"… _.m'tired…_ " Sam's voice came out small and weak.

With his eyes still bandaged from healing sessions with Gabriel, Sam could only turn his head. He couldn't tell who was holding him, only that someone was holding him with great care and that it wasn't Dean.

"Tired of what?" Gabriel asked, softly.

He gently brushed the back of his hand down the tall man's cheek. He noticed Sam leant into the comforting touch. He leaned more into the body intertwining with his. If he had a little more conscious-aware though, Sam would have considered if he was in danger and why he couldn't see.

"… _being in pain…being alone…_ " Sam mumbled.

Gabriel could sympathize with the young Winchester. It had been so long since he had seen his brothers and sisters. He filled his life with so many things, but there were many days he felt that same loneliness. Gabriel leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to the side of Sam's mouth.

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm going to take care of everything."

On the next sweep across his lips, Sam turned his head enough to make it full contact. The two shared several small kisses as Gabriel readied for what he had planned. He spread out his wings, using both them and his body to press Sam down. He bit on Sam's lip the same time he sliced a thin cut just over the human's heart. Distracted by the bite, Sam was unaware of the open wound.

Gabriel kissed his way across Sam's cheek to his ear. Sam let out a small moan as Gabriel nipped and licked at his ear. The archangel carefully slid the now clean blade through the center of his palm, leaving behind a thicker cut than that on Sam. He slipped a hand under Sam's hand and brought his face to his neck. He whispered a soft warning to him.

"This is going to hurt, but it'll be worth it in the end. Don't be afraid to bite down. You won't hurt me."

At first, Sam didn't understand, but when a searing pain beyond all other pain flared through his abdomen, he did. To suppress a scream, Sam bit down into the skin offered up to him. He took the voice at its word and bit down hard into the skin until he felt blood slip down his throat.

Gabriel pressed his wound against Sam's, mixing their blood while pushing Grace into their connection. The demon blood was dissolving away which is what was causing the intense pain in the human. Gabriel held the connection until he felt the last bit of demon blood leave. Only then did he remove his hand.

It took a little coaxing to ease Sam off his neck. He quietly snapped up a wet washcloth and wiped down Sam's sweaty forehead, cheeks, and blonde-tinged lips. Gabriel snapped the blood away from his mouth as the tear in his neck healed. Gabriel knew his mixed blood and Grace intermixed with Sam's blood would allow the healing of his eyes to finish.

"Sleep, Sam."

The voice was soothing and the pain was gone, as promised. He whispered a quiet note of gratitude before drifting off.

/…/

The last bit of healing only took a couple of days, but in that time hunter and archangel grew closer. Sam slept better when his head was resting on Gabriel's chest and Gabriel's wings were wrapped around him. Gabriel hadn't noticed the first time Sam latched onto to the closest part of a wing, but he had noticed when Sam jerked away as if burned.

It had taken more coaxing from Gabriel to get Sam to grip some feathers in a gentle squeeze. Sam's state of mind was still in the mix of asleep and awake which is how Gabriel preferred it. One night, after he had tested Sam's eyes for any abnormalities, Gabriel returned him to his brother. While Dean snoozed away in their latest hotel room, Gabriel snapped away the clone and replaced it with Sam.

When Gabriel stood up straight to leave, he noticed Sam starting to twist and turn around in bed. Snapping, Gabriel produced a long silver chain with one of his smaller feathers attached. Sam settled down after Gabriel looped it around his neck and stuffed it under his shirt. He smoothed a hand down Sam's cheek before kissing him softly on the forehead.

"You're going to be fine, kiddo. Your body can't be used as a vessel now."

Gabriel couldn't bring it out of him to stay with Sam. He had done what he felt he needed to do. Now he could stay out of Sam's life and make things easier.

"Be safe, Sam."

Sadly, as he left, Gabriel had no way of knowing that his interference would not stop Sam from dying. It did not stop Dean from making a deal, dying, and going to Hell.

It only changed the number of players in the game.

And gave Sam a more fighting chance against Destiny and Fate.


End file.
